


Our Utopia

by NothingSpecialHerern



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Multi, utopian project
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8609893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NothingSpecialHerern/pseuds/NothingSpecialHerern
Summary: Every year one of our teachers does this stupid Utopia project and every year the freshmen complain about it and so here ya go





	1. Discord sounds wonderful

"Do any of you know what Utopia means?" Mr. Harder paced in the front of the near-empty classroom, carefully looking over his students. Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang sat up front, notes out and listening intently. Will Solace was harassing Nico di Angelo in the back, Nico angrily glaring in his significant annoyance's direction. Percy Jackson was leaning back in his chair, taking a sudden interest in his notes he hadn't touched all hour. Annabeth Chase was lost in an architecture book of somekind. The new girl seemed to be daydreaming, looking out the window near her desk. 

And Leo? He was constructing some sort of... something. It could fly a certain distance, change directions, hold a pencil...

What class was he in again? Oh right- communications. His  _least_ favorite.

"Annabeth?" Harder leaned on his desk, folding his arms across his chest. "What does Utopia mean?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's a place that's perfect. A paradise, Heaven, Elysium, Garden of Eden."

Harder nodded. "Correct, as always, Ms. Chase."

"Not hard in this class," She muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry? Did you say something, Annabeth?"

Annabeth gave a warm smile that only strangers thought of as warm. "Nothing, sir."

"Good." Harder picked up papers from his desk, passing them out. "This week, you all will be constructing Utopias for a certain group of people. Pick anything you want- Baby Boomers to Millennials to Native Americans to Cubans. This will be a partner exercise-"

Most of the room lit up at that, save Leo. He usually did these projects alone because of everyone else being pre-paired. Sure, he could be a third wheel for someone's study date, but he'd learned the hard way that it was better to pick to be alone than to be forced into a group consisting of friends who picked someone else over you. 

"-but  _I_ will be assigning the groups this time." 

Everyone groaned in unison.

"So here you are- Nico and Hazel, Frank and Annabeth, Percy and Will, and Leo and Calypso."

Everyone studied each other, okay with the arrangement. Leo looked over to the girl by the window. She studied him, but not like Annabeth- it was as if she considered his strengths just as much as his faults and weaknesses. Her auburn hair was lit up from the outside sunlight, her eyes analytical but friendly. She wore a simple white top and dark skinny jeans with sandals. Immediately, Leo had her pegged as a popular girl. More quiet than others, maybe, but definitely with the same mentality. He inwardly groaned. It seemed he was forever destined to get the short stick in life. In any case, he was going to make sure he had the upper hand- which basically meant annoying her out of trying to flirt with him.

Everyone got up and began moving to their partners. Leo did the same, walking two rows over to her. He put on a fearless smile. "So, I take it you're Calypso? Nice to meet you." He held out his hand confidently. "The name's Smokin' Hot, but you can call me Leo."

Instantly, her lip curled in disgust. "I think I'll try  _disgraceful."_

Leo sat in the desk infront of her. "Well, alrighty then, aren't you a ray of sunshine?"

Calypso glared daggers at him. "Do  _not_ call me a ray of sunshine. It's  _Calypso."_

"Hey, whatever you say, Sunshine. So what did you have in mind for the project?"

Calypso raised her hand. "Mr. Harder, I can't work with him. May I work alone?"

Mr. Harder smiled, obviously enjoying the moment. "No, I'm afraid you're stuck with him until the end of the project. Oh, and class? This project is graded by relativity. Only the first group will get A's, the second B's, and the rest C's. Normal presentation rules apply."

The entire class looked at each other. They were used to this cruel and unusual punishment Mr. Harder gave ever so often. Calypso, however, was not. Her mouth hung open, apparently unused to not getting a guaranteed A.

Leo looked at her with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes. She ripped a piece of paper out of her binder and wrote an address in her perfect handwriting. she folded it into quarters and held it out for him. As Leo went to grab it, she pulled it out of reach.

"Tonight, 5:00, don't be late."

Leo let loose one last irritating smile. "Oh, don't worry, Sunshine. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

After school, Leo caught his friends outside at their usual spot. As he walked up to the table, everyone stopped and looked at him.

"What, is there something on my face?"

"You and Calypso," Hazel offered, "You were... quite the thing to watch."

Leo snorted. "What, _that?_ That was just talking."

Piper smiled a bit. "And then you got her address?"

"You weren't even in that hour."

"Annabeth explained in History," She quickly waved aside. "So are you going tonight?"

"What?"

"To her house. You _are_ going, aren't you?"

Leo considered it. Initially, he'd been planning to stand Calypso up just to get on her bad side a bit more, but through the day he'd been thinking. Most projects he did himself, and as such never was chosen as A material. If he had someone like Calypso helping him, odds were he could be closer than ever to getting a full-out A. "Haven't decided yet."

"You should," Jason chimed in. "You never know, maybe it could be fun."

Everyone nodded in agreement.  _Great,_ Leo thought,  _I've got a cheer squad bigger than the school's._

"I'll have to think about it."

Nico looked at his watch. "Better go. We've all got a lot to work on." He kissed Will's cheek and and took Hazel's hand. Hazel said goodbye to everyone, letting go of Frank's hand. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper all walked toward Percy's blue car that was probably older than dirt itself. Not that Leo minded- he loved working on that car when it needed repairs. Frank, Will, and Leo walked off to their own. As Leo sat in the driver's seat, he made a decision.

He hoped it was fun.

* * *

Leo rang the doorbell, happily checking his watch one more time. 5:01, just as planned.

This was going to be  _epic._

Calypso lived in a huge fancy house, like the kind used on movie sets. Overall, it was brown with accents of darker brown or the occasional white, but when Leo had gotten closer he'd realized there was so much more to it. Every detail was painstakingly carved or painted or made in some fashion, which Leo could appreciate. It made designs like leaves and vines, or maybe just flowers, or just abstract circles and squares? It was hard to tell.

Just as Leo was studying the door, it was ripped open by Calypso, who was furious. Leo smiled.

"Anxious to see me, Sunshine?"

"You're _late_ ," Calypso seethed. "Get in here."

The inside was just as insanely detailed as the outside, this time in soft green colors. It was set up as a 1900's house, complete with parlor and chandelier. Leo pulled out pipe cleaners and rubber bands as he was led into the dining room. 

"Wait here, and don't touch anything." She pointed to a chair with dirty hands. Like,  _actual_ dirt was underneath her fingernails.  Leo stared for a bit before catching himself.

"Yeah, don't bet your life on that."

When she came back, her nails were perfectly clean and holding a computer, which looked completely out of place in the vintage room. She sat right next to him and navigated to Google. "What were you thinking?"

He glanced her way, hoping she hadn't caught him noticing her hands. "Um, about what?"

Calypso sighed. "About the _presentation,_ idiot. It has to be good, because I'm not getting a C by being paired with _you."_

Leo felt himself get hot with defensiveness. "Hey, I don't question _your_ abilities, Sunshine. Have some faith."

"So you have an idea?"

"No, but you don't either, so we're in the same boat."

Calypso rolled her eyes, slouching in her chair. "It would be easier if he didn't pick such an impossible task."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Impossible?"

She studied him a bit before narrowing her eyes at the computer. "Do you know where Utopia comes from?"

"Uh, the English language?"

"No," She huffed, "It's Greek. 'Ou' meaning not, 'Topos' meaning place. In other words-"

"It's not a place," Leo interrupted. "It's impossible to make because it's not real."

"Exactly."

They both sat in silence, staring at the search bar. The more Leo listened, the more complete the silence became, as if they were the only ones in the house. It was uncomfortable for a kid who spent most of his time in an auto shop with his mom. Leo cleared his throat. "Um, are your parents home?"

Calypso gave him a cold stare. " _Excuse me?"_

Leo tried to force himself not to blush. "No, it's just, like, quiet. Like, y'know, it sounds like no one else is here. Not like, that's what I want or anything. I mean, not that that would be bad, but like-"

"Shut up." She put her hands on the keyboard. "Stop messing around with pipe cleaners and help me think."

He'd forgotten he was messing with anything. He put the odd contraption on the table, staring at it. His mind began to wonder to his last meal-those breadsticks were worth remembering- or Percy's car- it needed realignment, but Leo'd never been able to rip Percy away from it long enough- or the work at the shop- He should probably reorganize the place, clean it up a bit, work on the stains that would never come off...

Eventually, Leo picked up the pipe cleaners and worked on them some more. Calypso sighed. 

"What? I can't think unless my hands are moving."

"Something tells me no amount of thinking will help this," she closed her laptop, staring at nothing. Once again, that merciless silence took over. It seemed to poke and prod at him, demanding something. Leo didn't like to be poked or proded or controlled. In fact, when people thought they had something over him, he would find a way to show him no one told him how to be.  He'd outsmarted tons of teachers that way, forcing them to give him a decent grade while he rebelled as much as possible.

"Wait..." Leo looked over at Calypso. "A Utopia isn't a place?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, but that-"

"So they can't tell us how good we really did? Because none of it's real anyway?"

realization spread over her face. "That's right. Technically we all _have_ to win because nothing can define an imaginary object!"

"So, what, we just fill it with whatever we want?"

Calypso nodded, biting her lip. "Anything. It works, he'll have to give us an A. Alright, so what-"

Leo looked up at the clock above her. "Wait... what does that say?"

She blinked. "The clock? It says... 9:23."

Leo cursed. "Alright, I gotta go. I'll make a list of everything Leo, and give it to you tomorrow."

"Wait, what's-"

"My mom's gonna kill me, that's what. I still have homework and chores and cleaning to do-"

"Wait!" Calypso grabbed his arm, stopping him bolting out the front door. "Wait a second. Tomorrow, same time? Or earlier?"

He considered. "Same time. "

"Okay, then." 

She let go of his arm, and he dashed down the sidewalk to his car. He backed up and drove off, cursing himself for losing track of time like always.

"C'mon, Festus," Leo whispered to his car, "Little faster. We're in a heap of trouble."

 _You're in a heap of trouble,_ he imagined Festus saying back. He smiled to himself.

"Yeah. Something like that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Then you asked me to stay over  
> I said I already told ya  
> I think that you should get some rest  
> I knew I loved you then   
> but you'd never know  
> Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go   
> I knew I needed you  
> But I'd never show  
> That I wanna stay with you until we're gray and old  
> Just say you won't let go


	2. Worth remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Leo learns more about the new girl
> 
> Also this song is 100% NOT MINE  
> I just really love listening to it and you guys should check it out!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gIc2LoFmAM

"Could you _not_ make out in the classroom?"

Nico barely moved from Will, rolling his eyes. "Oh, like _you're_ any better, Chase. I see that not-so-subtle bruise on your lip."

Annabeth gave a withering look. "Yes, a bruise I acquired  _outside_ of a learning facility."

Percy gave her an endearing grin. "Well, I don't know, I feel pretty educated after-"

"Percy, I swear to _god_ -"

"Hey, uh, Mr. Harder?" Frank interrupted, "Just wondering, when's that project due?"

Mr. Harder looked up from his book, presumably for the first time that day. "Hm? Oh, yes, of course. The Utopian Project is due Wednesday."

Everyone looked over to their communications teacher in horror. Harder chuckled. 

"Is there a problem?"

"Probably!" Leo strolled into the class as soon as the bell rang. "What were we talking about, again?"

"The due date," Frank moaned. "It's tomorrow."

Leo smirked. "Sounds about right."

"Oh, and another thing," Harder added lazily, "I expect you're all almost done with the 3-d models, as you didn't bring them to class to work on? How very efficient of you."

With that, Mr. Harder put his feet up on his desk and opened his book, leaving the classroom in a terrible state. Annabeth immediately whipped out her laptop, aggressively searching through miles of blueprints for her and Frank's project. Hazel pulled out a list she and Nico had made at home, discussing materials for certain parts. Percy and Will just sat in absolute terror, both knowing that they had done nothing the first day. Leo looked over to Calypso, who had opened her laptop and was angrily tapping her fingers on the desk. When Leo made his way to her, he noticed she was wearing a simple white dress that went mid thigh and non-elaborate copper earrings. She had white headphones plugged into her computer, and Leo barely caught the name of a song before she minimized the tab.

_This Goodbye by Be-_

Interesting. He'd have to look it up. Not that it really mattered, of course. 

"How's the project coming, Sunshine?"

Calypso snorted. "You know very well how good this is going, Valdez. Give me your list." 

Leo tapped his temple. "All up here, baby. What do you need?"

"Everything."

Leo began listing off things that he'd always dreamed of: a shop of his own, a personal food court, a dragon- the basics. Calypso said nothing, typing furiously to keep up with his words. Eventually, Leo ran out of fuel. There was only so much a guy could want, after all. He looked over to Calypso. "So, what about you?"

She looked up at him, almost pleadingly, then returned to a dead-pan stare at the screen. "I'll add it later. Now, what sort of materials are we using for this?"

Leo smiled. "I've got some great ideas. We should meet at my place, put something together there."

Calypso raised an eyebrow. "Your word choice is atrocious, Leo."

"Only the best for you, Sunshine," He grinned devilishly. He absentmindedly scanned the room around him, accidentally catching Hazel's eye. She beamed back at him, darting her eyes between the two. Leo inwardly groaned. He wasn't  _actually_ trying to flirt with Calypso. This was all to get on her nerves so that she would avoid him and not try to make a move. It wasn't like he was genuinely wanting to spend more time with her or anything.

"-so I'll just come at 5, right?"

Calypso looked at him expectantly, meaning she'd been talking that entire time and he'd missed all of it.

"Oh, uh, yeah. 5. Sounds good."

She stared at him, as if expecting him to do something. "Well... okay then." 

"Yeah."

Calypso shut her laptop and got out a book. 

"So, uh... book report?"

She sighed indignantly. " _Some_ of us _enjoy_ reading. You should try it sometime."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." He got up and shuffled to his seat, leaning back in the plastic chair. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he brought out some paperclips and string and went to work.

* * *

Leo didn't look up from the car he was working on until is mother hollered his name from the entrance. When he peeked around the hood, he had to force himself not to laugh. Calypso was slowly winding her way through the more or less maze of tools and machines, obviously afraid to touch anything around her- heaven forbid something got on her perfectly white dress! Her nose crinkled a bit as she sniffed the intense gasoline-filled air around her. She swayed a bit from the stereo set up on Leo's table, which was cranked up as loud as possible. 

Leo wiped his hands on his pants, grinning wildly. "You _did_ know I live in an auto shop, right? Probably not your best bet, wearing that. Might need a trip to Forever 21 after this."

Calypso narrowed her eyes and struggled to shout above the stereo. "I make my  _own_ clothing, thank you very much!"

He raised his eyebrows. "You made  _that?_ Geez, Sunshine, how much freetime do you have?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are we going to work on the project or not?"

Leo nodded, taking off his tool belt. He yelled to the two others working that he'd finish up later and headed for the door that led to the house segment of the building. It was small-  _definitely_ different from Calypso's place- but it was theirs, and Leo loved every part of it. He took off his work shirt and headed for his room. "Be right back."

When he came back, Calypso was sitting straight at the one table, taking in the scene around her. The walls were covered in old photos, the floors with the occasional stain. Everything was close and efficient. There was just enough furniture to not be empty, but not too much as to crowd the little living space. Her eyes came to rest on him. Leo didn't really know what he expected, but her expression made him stare. Her brown eyes were the normal refined calm as always. However, that wasn't it. It was like a spark had found its way behind all of the regulated usual and was begging to be released, as if looking around had given life to her eyes. 

"Are you going to sit and stare at me? Or are we going to do something?"

Leo gulped, shaking his head. "Right. Um, we got all sorts of stuff here, obviously. And I collect things. Paperclips, rubber bands-"

"Pipe cleaners?"

He nodded. "I keep most of it in this box-" He pulled out a small cardboard box and opened it, showing the miscellaneous things inside. "Some are put together, like this-" He fished out a dragon made from string and pipe cleaners. "-which I thought would work really well for the dragon, and then I could construct the buildings and stuff..." He let himself trail off.

"Sounds good. What can I do?"

Leo sat down at the table, shrugging. "Whatever you want. Make building framework, mess with decorations, weave some fence-walls or-"

"Weave fence-walls?"

"Yeah. You know, to section off what's what. Like one section's the food area, another's the mechanics, another's-"

"Yeah, got it." Calypso immediately picked up some pipe cleaners, weaving them like second nature. She made intricate designs, earning a whistle from Leo.

"You're no klutz, huh, Sunshine?"

She suppressed a smile. "Weaving is one of my many talents."

Leo grinned. "Alright, I'll bite. What else?"

She looked to the ceiling in mock thought. "Oh, you know. Cooking, cleaning, the usual."

"Aw, come on. Nothing else?"

 _"Nothing else?"_ Calypso exclaimed, "I'll have you know those are _admirable_ talents."

"Whatever you say, Sunshine."

"I say  _work."_

Leo grabbed some string and paperclips, replicating a food cart. He held it up for her to see. "See? Uncanny resemblance."

She rolled her eyes. "You're missing the umbrella. It's almost unrecognizable without it."

Leo looked offended. "I think it's pretty good, given the circumstances. There isn't exactly spare fabric around here."

"Whatever you say, Valdez."

"I say work."

* * *

Calypso left at 8:00, having completed the project. Leo finished up the work for the day, starting on his homework. He was at his worktable outside, about to turn on the stereo quietly, when he remembered the song he had wanted to look up. He took out his phone and typed into Youtube,  _This Goodbye by Be-_

The lone suggestion finished,  _Beth Crowley._

Never heard of her. As the song began, Leo tapped his foot in time. It wasn't fast paced or anything, but he couldn't help himself. Then came the first lyrics-

_My world caught fire_

_You're the one who lit the spark_

Immediately, the thought about the way she had looked around his house, taking it in as if it was the most exciting thing in the world. From there, however, the song took a dark turn.

_Now I'm playing with matches all alone here in the dark_

_I had to learn the hard way that salvation has its price_

_I'll never forgive myself that you were the sacrifice_

The song kept going, telling of someone they had lost dearly, someone they couldn't let go of no matter what they tried. Leo tried to imagine just what Calypso had been through to listen to this song. He remembered the empty, vintage house he'd visited. For the first time, he truly wondered if her parents  _were_ home. She had said she made her own clothes, cooked, cleaned, all of it. Was it possible that she was living on her own? Had something happened to her parents?

He shuddered at the thought. If he ever lost his mom, he'd never make it. 

The song faded out, the violin holding out its last sad note. He was left in silence, pencil hovering above the homework. Leo realized that Calypso had never added anything to their Utopia. Nothing they had worked on for those three hours had been her wants or thoughts. He felt a wave of guilt. How had he missed that? How had he let her not include herself in a group project?

He immediately jumped up from his position, getting the box filled with trinkets and office supplies. His hands flew over the spare parts and worked furiously, refusing to let her be forgotten.

Calypso was a girl worth remembering.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you gotta bleed to know  
> that you're alive and have a soul  
> but it takes someone to come around   
> to show you how  
> She's the tear in my heart  
> I'm alive  
> She's the tear in my heart  
> I'm on fire  
> She's the tear in my heart  
> Take me higher than I've ever been


	3. Our Utopia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ending for now. If I can figure out how to keep the plot going and add in a couple things (Like Calypso's parents) Then I'll add it. Sorry if you were looking forward to that. A lot of people were.  
> ANYWHO I put notes on all the chapters with the songs I listened to while making that chapter (songs are super important to me if you haven't noticed) so feel free to look them up!

Leo went through most of the say in a bit of a daze. Last night had lasted longer than planned- up until four in the morning cleaning the shop and putting the finishing touches on the project. When he stumbled into sixth hour, he couldn't help but sigh.  _This_ and math, and he was  _done._

"You're sleep deprived," Nico mumbled behind him.

"Better have a good excuse," Will added. 

"Guys," Leo rolled his eyes,"I'm fine. Just took a little longer on homework."

No one bought it, but they didn't call him out on anything. As soon as the bell rang, he shuffled over to Calypso's seat. She did a double-take.

"Did you get hit by a bus?"

"Nice to see you too, Sunshine."

"No, I meant..." She sighed. "Nevermind. Ready to present?"

Leo groaned. That was answer enough. Calypso scanned the room for the project. She dug through her teal backpack and brought out little circles of fabric. Leo watched as she fixed the pieces onto little food stands or right above doors. He smiled in recognition. "Umbrellas? I thought you liked the sunshine."

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Not as much as sitting in the shade, _alone_ with a good book or two." There was that word again- alone. Leo had had a talk with Mr.Harder early this morning, and the words still played in his mind.

_Calypso has been so alone in her life..._

She stepped back, admiring her work. "Look good?"

When she looked up at him for reassurance, Leo was suddenly very awake. She had the slightest touches of make up on- just enough to bring out the already-dominant beauty. She'd worn a more business-like white dress with a copper necklace in the shape of an infinity symbol. Her hair was waterfall braided on one side, letting an auburn wave flow down her shoulders. Her eyes were excited, hands on hips, like she was about to win the world. 

 _And Leo?_ Harder had called. _I do hope you pick a partner more often in the future. Calypso has been so alone in her life. I'd hate to see it happen in my class._

It was stupid of the English teacher to say something like that to a student. It was stupid that he told Leo of all people. It was stupid that it'd held his attention all day, that the thought had drained him to his current tired state. It was stupid that, for the life of him, Leo couldn't figure out what was truly going on in Calypso's life.

"Hey, now," Calypso playfully hit his shoulder, "Don't go all depressed on me too. It's bad enough that your shirt isn't buttoned right."

He looked down to see that his one dress shirt was buttoned one too low. As he set to fix them, Leo felt his face get hot. He bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. What had happened to annoying her into staying away? What had happened to thinking that she was nothing more than bad news? What had happened to hating her?

What had happened to Leo?

"Mr. Valdez," Harder lazily droned, "Do you wish to go first?"

* * *

"Utopia."

Harder scribbled something down on the rubric. Leo forced a breath. He hated giving speeches.

"Utopia. Interesting word. It can mean a complete haven, a place of peace. But if you break it up, it can mean..."

Hazel gave him a supportive look. He fought the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants. Calypso stepped forward.

"It can mean nothing at all. The original Greek is 'ou', meaning no, and 'topos', meaning place. No place. Therefore, how are we to truly represent something that is no place? Quite literately nothing?"

Leo stood tall again. "Not by having a large group of people, that's for sure. The more people you have to please, the farther you get from nothing."

Calypso smiled. "So for our project, we have selected the smallest group of people necessary, but still considered a group. _This-_ " She waved a hand over the project, with all of its buildings and such- "is our Utopia. This is what we find perfect. There's a food area, housing area, and building area. I-"

"And a button!" Leo interrupted. "Let's see what it does!" He gladly hit the button, triggering the base to open up on the side and produce more space. On the extra square was a more nature-inclined side, with gentle buildings and sloppily weaved walls. Calypso gasped.

"What is-"

"What is this? Good question! This is the rest of it, of course! Let's see... music area, gardening area, antique area, cooking area... um, very useful and all that. Yeah."

He was suddenly out of words. He hadn't thought he would make it this far. He'd figured that Calypso would've rolled her eyes and complained that that was  _soo_ not her or Harder would've stopped the presentation because of how awesome the moving parts were or Leo wouldn't have had the courage to do it. If everything else failed, he hoped that the ceiling would've caved in or something to start a new conversation.

Leo looked up. No such luck.

"Music area?" Harder lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't think of you as the musical type. What songs play there?"

Great. Pop quiz. Calypso was still staring at the new development, silently muttering to herself about something. Leo racked his brain for any song.

"Um, This Goodbye."

Suddenly Calypso's intense eyes were on him. Harder raised both eyebrows in surprise. 

"Yeah. By, uh, Beth Crowley. This Goodbye by Beth Crowley. And songs like that."

Harder wrote down the verdict. Calypso was staring a hole in Leo, but he didn't dare meet her gaze. What would he find there?

"Thank you, Calypso and Leo. You may sit down. Next is Nico and Hazel."

Leo scrambled to his seat and didn't look up once. He took out some pipe cleaners and rubber bands and twisted them into things that were rushed and would never work.  _I do hope you pick a partner more often in the future._ Yeah. Fat chance, Harder.

Leo was never going to have a partner again, thanks to this stupid project. 

* * *

"Leo Valdez!"

He walked a bit faster to his car. 

"Valdez, stop! I am _going_ to talk to you, whether you like it or not!"

 _Not here,_ he thought.  _for the love of god, not here._ There were too many people around for his liking. A couple were already looking his way because of the yelling. He hopped inside and slammed the door, immediately starting the car. Calypso was already on the other side, yanking on the door handle. Luckily, it was locked.

"Open this door, or I _swear-_ "

Leo opened the door. Calypso got in and slammed it shut. She took a couple breaths, then looked over at him. _"Well?"_

"Well what?"

"What do you mean _what?_ " She twisted her body towards him. "That stunt you pulled on our project! That's what! The antiques, the cooking, the song..." The anger slowly drained from her voice. "The gardening. How... How did you know about that?"

"You had dirt on your hands the first time I came over. I just guessed."

She looked down inbetween them, then shifted back into her chair. "And... and the song?"

Leo looked at the driver's wheel. "Saw it on your laptop before you minimized it."

"The antiques?"

He smirked to himself. "Your entire _house_ is an antique. Wasn't that hard."

They let the silence envelop them was they sat in the car, careful to avoid each other's eyes. Leo cleared his throat. Calypso sighed.

"Well?" She mumbled.

"Well _what?_ That was it!"

"No," She huffed. "It isn't. I still don't have the why. Why did you do that?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Why not? It was your Utopia too."

"Then why keep it a secret? Why do it behind my back?"

"I don't know, I guess... I mean, I didn't do it until last night anyway. Not like I had time to tell you."

Calypso looked him over for a hint of lies. She wouldn't find any. That was all true. She looked out the dash. "So let me get this straight. You spent all this time noticing the little things like dirt in my nails or what song I was listening to. You _remember_ each and every one of those. And- for some reason- you decide to create and entire section of the project on your own in one night. All for... All for what? For recognition? For a better grade? No."

Leo squirmed in his seat. Would she figure it out? Would she care? 

"For yourself? For something to do? I don't think so. You have tons to do in that auto shop."

She was getting too close to home. Should he stop her?

"That doesn't leave much else. For your friends? No. For your family? I doubt it. This has nothing to do with any of them."

She turned back to him with her analytic eyes, and Leo felt like a deer in the headlights.

"That only leaves one person, Leo. One reason. For me."

Leo felt blood rush to his face. "Uh..."

Calypso gained an impatient look. "Well?"

A bit of his embarrassment turned to anger. "Well _what?_ What else is there to say? Yes, it was for you. Yes, I stayed up all night just to work on the stupid project. Yes, I noticed all those things about you. Yes, I did it for you. You got a pro-"

Suddenly, Leo couldn't form words. 

Apparently kisses did that.

Calypso pulled back, and Leo had to force himself not to follow. "I didn't want words, idiot. I wanted an action."

"O-oh." Leo stuttered. "Oh. Um. Sorry. I. Uh."

She snorted. "Oh, _very_ eloquent. I'm _so_ attracted."

Leo calmed down a bit, back in comfortable territory. "Of course you're attracted, Sunshine- I'm the _great_ Leo Valdez. _Everyone's_ attracted to me."

"Ugh!" She hit his arm. "Just hurry up and drive me home, Valdez."

"Drive you home? What better place to be than in the presence of _me?"_

"Shut up."

He smiled to himself as he put his car in reverse. He hoped this bickering would never stop if they- oh god. Were they a couple now? Calypso turned on the radio slightly louder than necessary and hummed along with the song. He studied the road. He'd have to ask her out to make it official. She seemed to like the color white, given how much she wore it. White roses? Nah, that was cheesy. He'd have to think about it later.

For now, Leo was content screeching the chorus off-key to annoy his sunshine. 

* * *

Leo rang the doorbell and checked his watch.

5:01, just as planned.

Calypso opened the door with a smile, but quickly changed it to a disappointed, angry frown.

 

 

"If you're trying to ding-dong-ditch, you have sorely failed."

Leo gave an easy smirk. "That so? Shame. 'Cause I feel like I just one a million bucks."

She tried to repress a rueful smile. Leo brought out a dozen white roses. Good thing cheesy was just his style.

"I was wondering, Sunshine, if you'd like to be my girl."

She quirked an eyebrow. "And why would I want that?"

"Because then I get to be your boy. That's right! The great Leo Valdez, all yours, for the small price of your acceptance."

She giggled. "Only that? Gee, I don't know. Seems a bit expensive."

"Flowers included?"

"Hmm..."

"How about dinner?"

Calypso took the flowers and smiled. "Deal."

As they hurried to the car, the two were uncontrollably laughing. Leo quickly turned on his car and revved the engine.

"Where to?" Calypso snorted.

"Where else, Sunshine?" Leo smiled. "Our Utopia."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this is real love  
> Beating like a thousand drums, love  
> Burning like the hottest sun, love  
> You're the only one I want  
> I want, I want, real love  
> Hit me like a hurricane, love  
> Feel it running through my veins, love  
> You're the only one I want  
> Real love


	4. World Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new year, a new project- but how can Calypso get such a taxing thing done when the fate of a certain someone's life is in question?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BET YOU THOUGHT YOU'D SEEN THE LAST OF ME! Sorry guys, still alive and still loving this idea- so much that I had to add another crazy project our teachers force us to do. Enjoy the beginning of phase two: Cal's world at war, Leo holding on for dear life.

Calypso stared at the packet in disbelief.

_Not now, not now of all times..._

"Please have this in by the test, as you will use the information on it. I'll give you..." Mr. Lincoln lifted his arm to look at his watch, then sighed at the time. "I'll give you the rest of the hour today. You can work in no more than groups of four."

The class was satisfied with that, quickly finding friends to be with. Leo made his way over to Calypso's desk and sat on it.

"Hey beautiful. Ready to..."

He knew immediately that something was wrong. She could sense his mind switch gears faster than she could weave together an answer for the inevitable question. Calypso's shoulders folded in on themselves.  _There's no time for this, no time for questions, no time at all..._

"Hey." Leo lifted up her chin and locked eyes with her. It wasn't a question, really, but a statement-  _Look at me. I am here, whether you say something or not._ For that very face she had seen so much, Calypso knew she had to say something. He deserved it, if nothing else. 

She sighed. "Leo, I-I... I mean, it's..."

"Nope!"

Calypso was caught off guard at that. Leo gave an endearing smile and continued.

"Nope, no, nada. If you're even _hesitant_ about telling me, I don't wanna hear it at all. Not another word, Sunshine, until 5:00 sharp." He winked like the trickster he was. "Then you can be as vocal as you want."

Under normal circumstances, she would have slapped his face off. But today? Her mind weighed down any energy inside to do so. She exhaled again and shuffled papers. "You wanna start the project, then?"

Leo lost a bit of his energy as he realized just how bad she was feeling. Cal  _had_ to be in terrible pain to not inflict some on her daring boyfriend. He glanced at the board, where a monthly schedule was plastered in black marker.

> Week 1- Wksht 40 due Tuesday, work on WWII project
> 
> Week 2-project
> 
> Week 3-study guide on Monday, Test on Friday
> 
> Week 4-Movie

Despite the terribly illegible writing, Leo found that the project technically wasn't due for a little over two weeks. In other words, he had lost all motivation to work by simply looking at a calendar. When he apologetically smiled back at Calypso, she sighed in frustration. 

"I see. So I guess that's that, then." She shoved her packet into her backpack and took out her laptop, scrolling through music she didn't have the heart to listen to.  _No time for this,_ she thought again.  _But what can I do now?_

_How can I save my father from a desk?_

* * *

"Alright, what did you do?" Nico di Angelo folded his arms in suspicion. The rest of the group eyed Leo in the same spirit. The lunch table quickly shrunk a couple sizes.

"What do you mean, 'What did I do'?" Leo fought back, "I didn't do anything! That was the first time I saw her since I went on vacation! You guys know that!"

Percy Jackson swallowed some sandwich. "I mean, she has looked a bit...  _distant_ for a while. I just thought it was because she missed you, but if she isn't even talking to you..."

Everyone went silent. Leo wasn't sure where it had gone wrong. A week ago, things had been fine between him and Calypso. They had celebrated their two year anniversary as Juniors at last- Leo made a cake and everything. The day after, he left for a little vacation he'd planned for his mom in the country. Nothing big, of course, but enough to give her a break for a bit. Then, when he stumbled into town this morning, his world was suddenly in flames.

Where had he messed up? What had he done?

"Well," Annabeth finally decided, "I suppose there's something else at work here. She's dealing with something at home, most likely. Just ask her what's wrong tonight."

Leo jumped. He had only told Calypso about that outing. "How did you-"

Piper and Annabeth shared a scary look. "Oh you know," Piper explained, "We have our ways."

"That," Percy opened a bag of doritos, "Is truly scary."

Nico looked over to Will Solace, who sat next to him buried in papers. He ruffled his sunbeam hair. "You gonna eat?"

Will barely glanced up. "Oh, yeah, mmhmm. Just gotta make sure I know-" He looked at the ceiling in thought. "-that's in... er... no that's not right-" He looked back to his notes, where they promptly disappeared. Nico pulled out Will's binder and began putting up the material. 

"Sorry, but we only have 25 minutes, and you've been studying for ten. That's enough for you."

Will grumbled and stole a fry from his boyfriend's tray. Of course, Nico had known to get extra food for such an occasion. That happened often.

"Studying anatomy again?" Annabeth asked, "Really, Will, you're already the best in the class. You're a natural. You hardly need to study during lunch."

Will gave a small smile. "Well, as we say in band- hard work beats talent when talent doesn't do hard work. Gotta stay sharp, you know?"

"Sure." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Gotta stay in an unreachable first."

His smile widened. "Jealous, dear Annie?"

Percy spit out his water. Piper choked on a carrot. Leo's eyebrows flew up in surprise.  _No one_ called Annabeth a nickname. Not even Percy. 

Annabeth simply returned the smile, deathly serious. "Oh, no, not jealous at all. In fact, your...  _predicament_ seems quite insufferable."

Will turned a lovely three shades whiter under his freckles. Annabeth was about to get him back in the best way possible and, as always, she would do so on her own time. Leo had been on that side of her stare, and he knew that the anticipation of the actual prank at hand was _always_ the worst part.

Leo shivered on behalf of his fallen brother. Rest in pieces, Will Solace.

Rest in pieces.

* * *

5:01, just as planned.

Leo knocked on the antique door like he had so many times before in the past two years. His every thought lined the wood with worries, engulfing him with doubts. Should he ask? Could he fix it? Would Cal hate him if he couldn't?

No. Those thoughts were stupid.

_Weren't they?_

"Hey." Calypso stepped onto the porch and gently pushed the door closed. She looked beautiful as always, in a perfect, eggshell, simple dress. Yet she avoided his gaze, which set him into an uneasy mood.

"Hey," Leo moved closer, combing some stray hair out of her face. He cared so much for her, and yet he didn't know how to help her at all. His first reaction- that she didn't have to say a thing- seemed to be right. But now, it was clear that  _something_ had to be said. They had to solve this, one way or another. He took a deep, steadying breath. "Calypso, something's happening. And if you don't want to say that much, it's fine. But, Cal-" Leo cradled her face in his hands and looked into her deep, depressed brown eyes. "Cal, you gotta give me something. We gotta work together. So tell me something, Sunshine. Anything. And we'll work it out."

Calypso found the humor to smile back at him. "Funny, I was gonna say something like that. Good to know you're..." She gulped. "You're on my side."

"Forever, Calypso. Forever and always."

Calypso blinked back tears. _Someone had said something just like that years ago..._

No. She couldn't get caught up in that again. She'd been crying for hours already.

Deep breath. Tears defiantly falling. A hug she hadn't anticipated. Calypso fought to stay on top of it all so she could get it out.

"It's okay, Calypso," the love of her life whispered into her ear, "It's alright. I'm here for you."

Calypso heard herself croak out an explanation.

"My father," her voice called, "He's in trouble. And- and he's... He's asked... a-asked for me to..." She swallowed back the waterworks. She had to say this, for her own mental state if nothing else. 

"It's okay..." Leo crooned.

"My father, "She started again, hoping this wouldn't ruin everything she had built in her time alone...

"He's asked for me to break him out."

 

 


	5. What Family Does

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will make you  
> queen of everything you see  
> I'll put you on the map  
> I'll cure you of disease

Leo felt a chill go down his spine. _Break out?_ as in, her father was _in?_ As in, her father was a _convict?_ He couldn't believe it. Leo thought she'd been hiding something like depression or needing tutoring or wanting to break up with him, not _breaking a convict out of prison._ He wasn't even sure he could begin to think up a plan for this, let alone pull it off without going to prison himself. Did Calypso have a plan? Had she figured it out? Had she... done this before? He began looking at her in a whole new light, realizing why she was always alone and usually pushed people away. _This_ was why her house was so quiet, why she was so independent as making her own food and clothes. It all was too much at once.

Calypso pushed herself out of his arms and looked up to him with a grimace. "Are you... okay?"

She said okay as if it meant everything:  _Are you... angry? Scared? Somewhere in between? Surprised? Calmed? Do you hate me? Do you still love me? Do you still mean what you said? Forever and always?_

And suddenly Leo melted. No, _remembered_. He remembered when he first saw her in class, pouting at her new partner. He remembered her awe at the project, how she stormed to find him and shared their first kiss. He remembered the white roses that matched her dress perfectly when he asked her out, her perfect laugh when he'd utterly failed at gardening, Her thoughtful look as she tried to remember what he had taught her about machinery, her warmth as she wrapped her arms around him at the end of a long school day, the way her hair fell when they went stargazing... all of it. Every day of the past two years went through his mind, and suddenly it didn't matter what Calypso was saying.

What mattered was that she was his Calypso, and she was waiting for him to show her how he felt. So he did. Leo smiled and pulled her into a small kiss. "Never been better, Sunshine. It's just a lot to take in. But it's fine." He squeezed her into another hug. "I told you I'd listen to anything, and we'd work it out. I'm standing by that, Calypso. No matter what."

What happened next was something he would never forget. Calypso seemed to shatter, like the front she'd been keeping with him was slowly crumbling and she wasn't sure if she should fix it or let it go. Then she made up her mind, finally sobbing into his shoulder with the passion of someone who had been handed their one and only want in life, and they could die happy knowing it was theirs.  She did that for a while, and all Leo could think was that he didn't want to be the thing she died happy with. He wanted to be the reason she truly lived. Eventually he rubbed her back lovingly.

"Calypso, are you okay? This is too much for someone to bear alone, and you've been doing it for weeks. Do you need a break? Maybe sit down? We could go inside and I can cook something for you. Anything you want." He looked down at her to see her tears had mostly stopped, and now she was just holding onto him for support. Still, she smiled at the thought.

"All I've got is vegetables. I don't even have cheese."

Leo gasped. "No _cheese?_ What kind of establishment are you running here?"

Despite everything, she laughed a bit. "It's fine. And also my favorite. And, hey, now you don't have to cook anything."

"True." He kissed her one last time. "So you want to go in, or are we eating from here?"

* * *

Leo hadn't cut up that many bell peppers in a long time, but he was happy to have something to do while he thought. Calypso hadn't said a word, just watching him dice enough for two and then eating her fill. Still, she hadn't let go of Leo's hand since he sat down. He decided to just let her do whatever she wanted, as long as she ate. 

"I shouldn't be doing this," Calypso sighed. 

Leo popped a piece of pepper in his mouth. "Eating?"

"No. Well, kind of." She sighed again. "I mean, I'm wasting time. I should be helping my father, not sitting around hating myself."

Leo squeezed her hand. "Don't hate yourself."

She rolled her eyes. "Ok, yeah, whatever. Point being, I need to act fast. He said they won't accept a replacement for long."

"Woah, woah, woah," Leo waved his other hand around. " _Replacement?_ Are you gonna try to take his place? Because there's no way I can let you do that. Whatever he did is _his_ burden, not yours."

Calypso glared at him. "It's not what  _he_ did, it's what everyone else did to  _him._ "

"Still-"

"-And no, I'm not about to take his place. Someone else will. Once I convince him."

Leo stiffened.

She rolled her eyes again. "No, I don't mean  _you._ There's a guy who I might be able to trick into doing it, but he's kind of... hard to deal with. Not to mention that he lives like, four hours away. There's no way I could get there, let alone have a good reason for him to come with me. He doesn't exactly like my family."

Leo just stared at her.

"What?"

"Calypso, do you even hear yourself? You're saying you want to  _trick_ someone into taking your father's place? In a prison? A _prison_ , Calypso! We're talking about making someone go to prison!" He tried to calm himself down. "Look, Cal, I have no idea how hard this must be for you, and I want to help you because I love you. I really do. But this? This is insane! How can someone even _replace_ someone else in a federal prison?"

Calypso drew back her hand and stood up. "Easy. It's not a federal prison, it's a family feud. He's been trapped in someone's collapsing bunker for  _years._ He's seriously dying, Leo. Dying because of a feud. He's getting older and he can't keep up with all the repairs the bunker constantly needs. The guy I'm replacing him with is young and strong and unbelievably disgusting as a human being. He's also the other family's leader's son, so maybe they'd finally see how terrible they're being if it's to their own golden boy. And, I mean, he's my father. He's family, and I have to save him. That's what family does."

She turned around and left the dinning room. Leo tried to process what he'd just heard. A family feud? Who was the other family? And... Leo was trying to see what Calypso did, but when he imagined her father it was a stone-cold killer. She said she considered him family, but he doubted she loved him like a father. From the sounds of it, she was being forced to do this, which added a whole new layer. He wished he could just pick up and move somewhere else with her, and they wouldn't have to think about any of this ever again. Still, it was her decision- if she was going to stay, then so would he.

Leo found Calypso in her garden, just as he always did when something was bothering her. He plopped down next to her, lacing his fingers in hers and laying his head on her shoulder. Calypso stopped fidgeting with a plant. She gulped.

"You know... you don't have to be a part of this. You can just be... the normal part of my life. None of this has to involve you."

He lazily smiled back. "Oh, don't worry- I'll be as normal as can be- you know, for me. But I'm doing right next to you, no matter where you go."

She returned a watery smile. "Why?"

"Because I love you," He insisted as he kissed her nose, "And that's what family does."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW that took a lot longer than I expected... Oh, well, it's out now! Thank you so much for your patience and support! I've never had this good of a reaction to a fic, so really, thanks! Hope I can write the next chapter soon... I guess we'll see!


End file.
